TX GOP Adds Some Fun New Planks to Its Party Platform

[iluvatar5150]

Texas GOP amendment would stop Democrats winning any state election

A Texas Republican proposal would require anyone holding statewide office to have the support of a majority of Texas counties.

www.newsweek.com

https://convention.texasgop.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/2024-TEMPORARY-Platform-FINAL.pdf

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The Republican Party of Texas has voted on a policy proposal that would require any candidate for statewide office to win in a majority of the state's 254 counties to secure election, effectively preventing Democrats from winning statewide positions based on the current distribution of their support.​

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Proposal 21, under the state sovereignty section, called for a "concurrent majority" to be required in order to hold statewide office.​

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It says: "The State Legislature shall cause to be enacted a State Constitutional Amendment to add the additional criteria for election to a statewide office to include the majority vote of the counties with each individual county being assigned one vote allocated to the popular majority vote winner of each individual county."​

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Also:

172. Historical Monuments: We believe that all historical war memorials, including Confederate monuments, in Texas shall be protected from future removal or defacement, and we believe that those monuments that have been removed should be restored to their historical locations.​

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173. Military Base Names: Publicly honor the southern heroes and rescind all name changes of our military bases.​

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ETA: 172 is not new; it's retained from their 2022 platform.

 

[Nithavela]

Sounds reasonable. What's the point of making election rules if you can then lose the election?

This is why I can't take the democratic party serious. They don't pull stuff like this like a proper US party.

 

[iluvatar5150]

Sounds reasonable. What's the point of making election rules if you can then lose the election?

This is why I can't take the democratic party serious. They don't pull stuff like this like a proper US party.

Dems really do like bringing knives to gunfights.

 

[Hans Blaster]

Dems really do like bringing knives to gunfights.

The real problem is the Reps bringing knives and guns and baseball bats to meetings of Congress.

 

[Fantine]

Trying to bring an electoral college effect to Texas?
Talk about attacking voting rights!
I had better stop now before I describe these legislatures in the terms they deserve.

 

[Nithavela]

The real problem is the Reps bringing knives and guns and baseball bats to meetings of Congress.

When the other party brings guns to a fight, it becomes a gunfight, no matter the venue.

 

[Always in His Presence]

It just may be the only was to preserve the State with all the people escaping Blue States like California. I hope it passes.

 

[rambot]

There is absolutely no way this passes. I just read a reddit post from a Lawyer and he explained that this would definitely affect the Supreme Court's "One Person One Vote" thing. Also, it would likely disenfranchise black voters who would be SEVERELY underrepresented in many, many counties.

 

[rambot]

It just may be the only was to preserve the State with all the people escaping Blue States like California. I hope it passes.

Well I mean the other option is to convince people through good governance and sound policy.

That may get people on board.

 

[durangodawood]

It just may be the only was to preserve the State with all the people escaping Blue States like California. I hope it passes.

Part of the bargain in the USA is you get to move where you want. And you bring your vote.

I do understand the impulse to enshrine minority rule. Its just that its not legitimate in principle.

 

[Always in His Presence]

Well I mean the other option is to convince people through good governance and sound policy.

Considering they are moving away from the type of governance and policy that is destroying their state (California as an example) I doubt if the people of Texas want to emulate a complete failure.

That may get people on board.

They are not even on board - they are fleeing blue states by the thousands.

 

[The IbanezerScrooge]

It just may be the only was to preserve the State with all the people escaping Blue States like California. I hope it passes.

Forget red or blue for a second... do you actually think this is a good idea in principle?

 

[iluvatar5150]

Considering they are moving away from the type of governance and policy that is destroying their state (California as an example) I doubt if the people of Texas want to emulate a complete failure.

Evidence they are "moving away from [a] type of governance and policy"?

 

[Always in His Presence]

Forget red or blue for a second... do you actually think this is a good idea in principle?

I personally like the electoral college - so yes It is a good principle that makes sure large cities don't trample smaller ones.

 

[Always in His Presence]

Evidence they are "moving away from [a] type of governance and policy"?

LOL - It has been talked about consistently for the last six years or more. Were you in a coma?

But here - just for the fun of it - from the LATIMES themselves:

SACRAMENTO —​

It seems only yesterday that California’s population was nearly 40 million. Then more people left the state. Now we’re not even at 39 million.​

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The U.S. Census Bureau reported in March that California’s population as of last July had dropped to an estimated 38,965,000. That’s down by 75,400 in a year — and 573,000 below California’s peak of 39.5 million in 2020.​

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People have been fleeing this once-Golden State. And the exodus accelerated on Gov. Gavin Newsom’s watch.​

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Get it? Governor - Governance and policy maker.

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Out-of-state migration is the main cause of California’s continuing population loss.​

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But “the biggest reason we’re losing population is that people are moving out,” Johnson says. (LOL that is brilliance at it's best - the reason they are loosing population is that people are moving out! Genius)“That has slowed, but we’re still losing hundreds of thousands to other states.” That’s a net loss after factoring in people moving to California.

And why are they leaving? Mainly because of California’s high cost of living, particularly housing. That’s the biggest reason movers cite.

 

[iluvatar5150]

I personally like the electoral college - so yes It is a good principle that makes sure large cities don't trample smaller ones.

It does nothing of the sort. For one thing, it acts at the state level, not at the city level, so in theory, it prevents small states from getting trampled by larger ones. But more importantly, when a state adopts a winner-take-all approach to its electors (as most have), it winds up giving more power to whichever party already has the majority. States like California and NY that have large urban populations wind up steamrolling the millions of rural voters who vote the other way. Trump's largest ever single-state vote count was California in 2020, with just over 6 million votes - none of which mattered because Biden beat him in CA.

 

[Always in His Presence]

Here is some GREAT Democratic governance and policy:

MSN

In 2024, California introduced a groundbreaking yet controversial financial measure: the exit tax. This unprecedented policy mandates that individuals relocating out of the state pay a tax on their net worth, targeting particularly those with substantial assets accrued within the Golden State’s borders. Designed to clamp down on the outflow of wealth and ensure departing residents contribute to the state’s economic well-being, the exit tax has ignited a firestorm of debate.​

 

[Always in His Presence]

It does nothing of the sort. For one thing, it acts at the state level, not at the city level, so in theory, it prevents small states from getting trampled by larger ones. But more importantly, when a state adopts a winner-take-all approach to its electors (as most have), it winds up giving more power to whichever party already has the majority. States like California and NY that have large urban populations wind up steamrolling the millions of rural voters who vote the other way. Trump's largest ever single-state vote count was California in 2020, with just over 6 million votes - none of which mattered because Biden beat him in CA.

Thanks - we disagree

 

[iluvatar5150]

LOL - It has been talked about consistently for the last six years or more. Were you in a coma?

I love it when your snarky replies try to suggest some sort of deficiency on the part of the other person while not answering the question and/or suggesting that you didn't understand the question in the first place.

But here - just for the fun of it - from the LATIMES themselves:

SACRAMENTO —​

It seems only yesterday that California’s population was nearly 40 million. Then more people left the state. Now we’re not even at 39 million.​

​

The U.S. Census Bureau reported in March that California’s population as of last July had dropped to an estimated 38,965,000. That’s down by 75,400 in a year — and 573,000 below California’s peak of 39.5 million in 2020.​

​

People have been fleeing this once-Golden State. And the exodus accelerated on Gov. Gavin Newsom’s watch.​

​

Get it? Governor - Governance and policy maker.

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I asked you for evidence of why people are moving away. Pointing out that the exodus is happening on Newsom's watch is evidence of when it's happening. Do you understand the difference? Or do I have to explain it to you?

Out-of-state migration is the main cause of California’s continuing population loss.​

​

But “the biggest reason we’re losing population is that people are moving out,” Johnson says. (LOL that is brilliance at it's best - the reason they are loosing population is that people are moving out! Genius)“That has slowed, but we’re still losing hundreds of thousands to other states.” That’s a net loss after factoring in people moving to California.

And why are they leaving? Mainly because of California’s high cost of living, particularly housing. That’s the biggest reason movers cite.

Last I checked high COL was not a policy. It may be a downstream effect of policy, but it is not itself a policy.

Here is some GREAT Democratic governance and policy:

MSN

In 2024, California introduced a groundbreaking yet controversial financial measure: the exit tax. This unprecedented policy mandates that individuals relocating out of the state pay a tax on their net worth, targeting particularly those with substantial assets accrued within the Golden State’s borders. Designed to clamp down on the outflow of wealth and ensure departing residents contribute to the state’s economic well-being, the exit tax has ignited a firestorm of debate.​

This would only apply to wealth over $30 million - wealth that the state often helped generate. Apparently, CA is so unbearable that people ought to be able to go there to get rich, but not pay taxes to fund the systems that helped them get rich.

https://www.flclaw.net/understanding-the-california-exit-tax/

 

[durangodawood]

I personally like the electoral college - so yes It is a good principle that makes sure large cities don't trample smaller ones.

You are privileging the collective unit of "city" over the individual as the source of political legitimacy.

Its literally a collectivist political vision you propose.